Same As Always
by Y-n-Y
Summary: [YYxY][Christmas Fic]After an unexpected situation on Halloween, they find themselves lost, both feeling guilty for their own reasons. Not having the courage to face the problem, Yami disappears, leaving an emotionally distraught Yuugi.


Y-n-Y: Hello, everyone. Well, I thought up another horrible story, just for Christmas. It's very random, so if you get confused, you're not the only one... cuz I was, too. Well, I still am, actually, but that's besides the point. So, I can't offer any explanations on anything you're confused with.  
  
Yami: ::rolls his eyes::  
  
Y-n-Y: Just you wait, Yami -.-  
  
Yami: I don't like that look...  
  
Yuugi: Neither do I...  
  
Y-n-Y: MWAHAHAHA!  
  
Yami & Yuugi: I guess she's okay now...  
  
Y-n-Y: ::grins:: On with the fic!  
  
Same As Always  
  
Watching the snow fall, Yuugi moved his fingers along the steamed window. Sighing, he removed his fingers and found a picture of Yami. 'He was supposed to be back today.' The day before Christmas. He moved from the window and into the kitchen starting up hot cocoa, softly singing "Home for Christmas."  
  
Yami had been gone for two months, without a word. Although Yuugi knew why. And it was his fault, too. Halloween. That was when he made his worse mistake. Although, Yuugi blamed it all on the spiked punch. And it figured that his first year away from home, he did something radical that changed his life. The first, he was a girl for Halloween; the second, he got drunk. And seemingly this wasn't good with a drunken Yami also in the room.  
  
Wobbling home, with not so quite a drunk Yami, Yuugi crashed down on the sofa, laughing hysterically. Yami was laughing, too, but he wasn't as far gone as Yuugi. In the middle of a high-pitched laugh, Yuugi found his mouth covered with Yami's lips.  
  
After a moment of surprise, Yuugi got used to the feeling and responded with equal fierceness. A little birdie went off in his head, but it soon quieted once it drank from Yuugi's consumption of alcohol ealier. Yes, one thing did lead to another. To say they both were displeased would be wrong.  
  
At least at that moment in time it would be.  
  
In some ways, Yuugi was glad he didn't remember, but he did want to see Yami's face, since it was the last time he'd be able to see it. All Yuugi knew was he woke up and Yami wasn't anywhere. It was then he realized he had an ear-rupturing headache and the worse cramp in his back since he had to run three miles at school.  
  
Yuugi was smart, it didn't take long to figure out what happened.  
  
The first few weeks, he was depressed, not doing anything, sitting in his room. Every time the telephone rang, he would rush to pick it up. Eventually the impassioned dash became a walk of silence and heartache. He knew he would never see or hear from his other again.  
  
But the phone kept on ringing and the closer it got to the holidays, the more it did so. Finally, Yuugi broke. He picked up the phone, quietly said 'hello' and began to cry. The line remained silent, almost as if the person on the other end felt Yuugi's heartache.  
  
And they did. They knew all too well.  
  
"Aibou..."  
  
"Y-Yami... you're..."  
  
"Shh, aibou, stop crying. I'll be home before Christmas."  
  
The call woke Yuugi up mentally. Yami would be back. All would be normal, like it was. Yuugi can deal with hiding his feelings; it was so easy, very easy. That kind of pain couldn't compare to when Yami left. Nothing could and Yuugi was fine with it.  
  
He had gone out and brought presents for Yami and his friends, he got up his plastic, fiber-optic tree and decorated everything. He wanted Yami to have the best Christmas, just like before. I will all be the same.  
  
After all was done, Yuugi still had three days before Christmas. He sat on the couch next to the tree, sometimes rearranging the ornaments, making it perfect... no... not perfect... there, now it is...  
  
When Yami comes back, Yuugi would apologize, say he'd never do it again. Then it will be perfect.  
  
Absolutely perfect.  
  
But Yami had to come home first.  
  
The time was ticking away, as were Yuugi's hopes. He finished drinking his cocoa as night came he curled up in a ball on the couch and fell asleep.  
  
Now was the day of Christmas, but Yuugi still sat by the window watching, waiting and wanting everything perfect. Soon, the sun reached the highest point in the sky, then it sunk beneath the hills and the light faded.  
  
As the light faded, so did Yuugi's last bit of hope, until he was just there, not knowing what or who he was waiting fir, He found himself curled up on the floor looking around at the decorated place.  
  
Was this even his home?  
  
Can he be home without Yami?  
  
No... No...  
  
It was supposed to be perfect.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mildly surprised the door was unlocked, Yami stepped inside the dark place, looking around for Yuugi. A couple steps in the house and something under his foot cruntched. Bending down, he searched where his foot was and ended up pricking his finger on something sharp. 'Glass?' With his other hand, he reached for the ligh switched and flipped them on. The room lit up. A Christmas tree in the corner, a small village, and various other knickknacks. But it look wrong. Some pieces of the village were in pieces on the floor, ornaments from the tree had been thrown against the wall, some of the luckier ones stayed in one piece and the not so lucky ones, ended up in piles or ceramic and glass under his feet. Wrapped gifts had been thrown to all ends of the room and the stockings lay ever so close to Yami's feet.  
  
All this mattered little to Yami, Yuugi wasn't in sight. Carefully, Yami made his way to Yuugi's room and on the bed laid Yuugi, shaking in the dark room. Yami's heart cried out to Yuugi's, wishing the other would hear. Not making a sound, he slipped into the room and stood next to the bed facing Yuugi's back. Unexpectedly, the boy rolled over, his arms wrapped around his legs, trails of blood under his hands, flowing down his legs.  
  
Yami took a step back, his foot knocking over a bottle. He picked it up, looking at the label. 'Alcohol.' He knelt next to the bed, silently watched Yuugi before speaking. "Aibou?"  
  
The boy cried out, almost as if the word caused him pain.  
  
"Aibou, it's me, wake up please." Yami tried to hold him down and to stop him from thrashing around in the bed. "Aibou, I'm back." He leans down a bit to give a brief kiss on Yuugi's lips.  
  
The small boy blinks his eyes open and sees Yami's face. "M-Mou hitori no boku?"  
  
Yami sighs and smiles, glad he woke up. "Yes, aibou." He feels a couple tears slid down his cheek and wipes them away. "I'm so sorry, aibou."  
  
Yuugi was shocked. This wasn't right. He had to apologize, not Yami. He had to say he was sorry, Yami would accept and all would be right. So, why was Yami apologizing? It confused Yuugi to think about it, so he yelled, "Go away, Yami!"  
  
His other frowned. "Aibou, I should have known better than to do that. I was responsible. If I never would have started anything, none of this would have ever happened. I know you'll probably never forgive me for what I did, neither will I forgive myself."  
  
"Just leave me, Yami! It hurts so much..."  
  
'He doesn't know what he's saying,' Yami thought, remembering the bottle he found. He put his hand in his pocket, fiddling with the small box that was there. Sighing, he withdrew his hand, holding nothing. "I'm sorry, Yuugi," he said before leaving, closing the door to Yuugi's tears.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuugi awoke, his face feeling stiff and a bad headache pounding in his head. He sat up slowly, figuring at any faster of a pace, he'd just feel more pain. Speaking of pain, his hands pressing against the bed began to shoot needles up his arms. "Ow," he moaned, his voice breaking. He looked at his hands. "They're bandaged? How?"  
  
Looking around the room, he noticed other things. It was clean, was the main one. Whatever disasters he placed upon it the night before, were gone. His comics were back on the bookshelf, his CD collection back in their cases and placed in the holder... and his pictures were displayed rather than face down as he has left them.  
  
His room was rather dark, the only light coming from between the curtains of his window. Looking at the corner yet unlooked upon; he saw a familiar shadow, its red eyes almost glowing from the dark. "M-mou hitori no boku?"  
  
His eyes closed and stepped away from the corner. "Aibou."  
  
-Go away, Yami!-  
  
Yuugi blinked, remembering his voice from last night. Was he really that far gone not to have cared that Yami was back? "W-why are you... still here?"  
  
Yami smiled a bit. "I told you I would be back yesterday. He I am."  
  
Yuugi bowed his and frowned. "But... what I said last night..."  
  
"Yuugi, I know what you said. And it's my fault. If I wouldn't have left, this would have never happened." He started to the edge of Yuugi's bed before he sat down. "I'm sorry, aibou."  
  
Yuugi bit his lip, attempting to stop his tears. He found it an impossible task. "Yami... you shouldn't say you're sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. Last night and... the time before... it was my fault. I lost control both times."  
  
"Aibou..."  
  
"So, don't you see? Don't apologize. I owe you so much. Whatever blame you've put on yourself, it's so insignificant to what you've done for me."  
  
"Aibou..."  
  
Yuugi shook his head. "Please, Yami, don't go away again. Even though, I really shouldn't ask that of you-"  
  
"Aibou!"  
  
Yuugi stopped talking.  
  
Yami smiled. "Aibou, will you let me speak for a moment?" Yuugi nodded. "Listen, I'm just as much to blame as you are. And, last night, was mostly my fault. I shouldn't have arrived so late. You must have given up hope on me long before I arrived."  
  
Yuugi nodded lightly, now ashamed he gave up hope so easily. "Yami, I'm sorry about last night though. I must have hurt you."  
  
"I understand, aibou." He stood and turned his back to Yuugi. "Do you want to know why I left?"  
  
Diverting his eyes, the smaller one nodded.  
  
"I was scared of myself."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Yami smiled, shaking his head. "My feelings scared me. Even before, I was always afraid of them, but losing control like that, made it undeniable." He sighed, turning back to look at Yuugi. "I was in love with you, aibou. And... it scared me like nothing else." He laughed a bit before returning to Yuugi's bedside and sitting down. "Forgive me? For being so stupid?"  
  
Yuugi blinked. "You were afraid?" Laughing as well, he threw his arms around Yami and closed his eyes. "I'll forgive you, as long as you forgive me."  
  
"Then it's over."  
  
Yuugi nodded. "Yami, I suppose I should tell you as well." He pulled away a bit and smiled. "I love you."  
  
Yami stared at his aibou. "So, I was worried for nothing?"  
  
He nodded and started giggling.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you find it funny." Yami pushed against his shoulders and dropped his face extremely close to Yuugi's. "So, you would have no complaints if I decided to kiss you?"  
  
"Not one."  
  
"Good."  
  
Yami pressed his lips against his and moaned inwardly, not remembering how it felt the first time they kissed, but he was sure it wasn't better than this. After a moment or two, they both parted and breathed heavily. "Yami..."  
  
"Hold on, Yuugi," Yami said and he fished through his pocket once again, his hand finding the box. Pulling it out, he placed it in Yuugi's hand. "Merry Christmas, aibou."  
  
Yuugi opened the box and found a gold ring. It was imbedded with rubies and amethysts, one after the other, completing the circle. In the inside, he read aloud:  
  
"'Aibou, it's you I love forever, should I be worthy.'"  
  
"Yuugi..."  
  
Once again, tears flowed from his eyes and he smiled. "Mou hitori no boku... don't leave me again." He slipped the ring on and pulled Yami close to him.  
  
"Yu-ugi... I need... to breath..."  
  
"Oh!" Yuugi let go of him and blushed. "Sorry."  
  
Yami just shrugged. "So, what shall we do this Christmas Day?"  
  
Yuugi smiled. "Does it matter? Whatever we do, I just want to stay with you."  
  
The former Pharaoh smirked. "Well, that brings up many ideas, now, doesn't it?" His hands found the blankets and pulled them over their bodies, keeping themselves warm on this cold day.  
  
~*~*~*~OWARI~*~*~*~  
  
Y-n-Y: Well, I hoped you liked this. Pretty angsty for a Christmas fic, but oh well ^^;  
  
Yami: You are evil.  
  
Y-n-Y: Yeah yeah e.e;; 


End file.
